Businesswoman Kat Florencio and director Robby Carmona did away with the usual fashion show recently, to give guests a peek instead at what goes on behind a real photo shoot.
The shoot, featuring today’s hottest models and fashion icons wearing BCBGMAXAZRIA’s Fall 2013 collection, was timed with the recent opening of BCBG’s flagship store at the new Shangri-La Plaza mall’s East Wing.
Since Linear Group became the Los Angeles-based fashion label’s exclusive Philippine representative sometime in 2012, the company has opened two smaller BCBG boutiques at Bonifacio High Street and Greenbelt.
“The Shangri-La store is very special to us,” said Florencio, director of Linear Group. “As our flagship store, it’s the only store that carries BCBG’s runway line.”
Brand ambassadors Xandra Rocha, Jessica Kienle, Mikaela Lagdameo and Maggie Wilson-Consunji were tapped to channel four key personalities that mirror BCBG’s clientele: visionary, socialite, connoisseur and urban rocker.
They shared the scene with eight professional models wearing selected ensembles from the brand’s fall and Lady Remix lines consisting of edgier, more streamlined pieces.
Contrasting neutrals
BCBG’s fall collection consisted of contrasting neutrals, subtle prints and hints of color such as red, maroon, salmon and royal blue. Vintage-inspired dresses incorporating tiers and strategic panels of lace, and tailored pieces with neutral trimmings and color blocking were among this season’s dominant looks.
Fabrics ranged from soft materials like silk and georgette, to more rigid ones like cotton canvas, eco-leather and silk jacquard. The general silhouette was close to the body.
“Since I’m also the merchandiser, I personally choose the looks that would work in our weather,” said Florencio. “Except for a few textured jackets, we don’t carry a lot of outerwear. But we also have a line of shoes, bags and accessories. Come summer, we will be introducing swimwear.”
Florencio and her team also followed the design directives of BCBG when it came to constructing the stores. An in-house team of carpenters executed BCBG’s designs down to the last detail.
“All furniture and fixtures also came from the US,” she said. “So, the look of our stores is no different from the interiors of BCBG’s other stores the world over.”
Unexpected twist
In keeping with the show’s photo shoot theme, Carmona tapped makeup artist Jigs Mayuga and fashion photographer Paolo Pineda. But the evening’s most unexpected twist came
courtesy of Ria Bolivar, one of the country’s top models.
Instead of joining the photo shoot, Bolivar, dressed in BCBG’S printed ensemble consisting of skinny pants and loose jacket, did the styling.
“I know Ria,” said Carmona. “She’s my ‘daughter.’ She’s one model who has a natural eye for style. But to save on time, we already preselected the pieces based on BCBG’s current collection.”
Partly made-up and dressed models and brand ambassadors sat one at a time on Mayuga’s chair for quick, last-minute touch-ups before heading to Bolivar, who tweaked their looks by making them wear, say, a jacket or an accessory or two.
Dynamic and interactive
Before sending them off to Pineda, Bolivar also checked if the women’s hair and makeup were impeccable by making sure, for instance, that there were no lipstick stains on their teeth and that every single strand of hair was in place.
Each woman stood behind a lit white canvas before striking a series of poses in front of Pineda’s lens. The results were instantaneous, as each subject’s series of images were beamed on a projector for everyone to see.
Compared to a typical ramp show, which usually lasts from 20 to 30 minutes, the BCBG photo shoot was over in 12 minutes, said Carmona.
“Kat and I wanted a more dynamic and interactive show,” he said. “I’ve done all sorts of shows, and this, by far, was one of the most interesting concepts I did. That’s why when we were supposed to rehearse, I suddenly nixed the idea. After all, this was supposed to be a photo shoot. It should be spontaneous.”